Charles Barkley is perhaps my favorite television personality, let alone commentator. I actually tune in the TNT pregame, halftime and post game shows just to listen to him. I suspect I'm not alone. His mixture of insight and humor is refreshing.
At the start of the season Barkley suggested that the lack of a point guard would keep Cleveland out of the playoffs. When the Cavs made their big multi-player trade, he praised it, including the acquisition of Delonte West. But he has continued to point out that the team still needs more production and leadership from the point.
Shift gears to the Hornets-Spurs series for an example of what Barkley is talking about. As of this writing the Hornets are up 2-0. Why? Chris Paul. The Hornets eliminated the Mavericks in Round One. Why? Chris Paul. The kid is simply amazing.
The point guard doesn't have to be as dominant as Paul has been in order for a team to succeed (see MJ, Scottie and the Bulls), but there's no question that he has shifted the focus back to the position. "Bigs," as post players are now euphemistically called, are vital. But seeing Paul dominate the floor recalls the days when Magic led the Lakers, and Isiah the Pistons. It's refreshing.
The Cavs have lacked that kind of leadership since Mark Price and Terrell Brandon patrolled the position a decade or two ago. West has teased Cavs fans with flashes of strong play since his arrival. He -- or someone -- will need to make it a regular thing for the team to "rise up" to true champion status.
Barkley's assessment of the Cavs has been right on target. He remains the most compelling sports commentator on TV.
4 comments:
Er, Tom, who or what are Cavs? I thought you spell that calves and they are very tasty when made into veal parmigiana.
Signed,
Your source of course in Chitown
Keith --
Modesty forbids. Heh, heh.
td
Part of what helped the Lakers get better this year was the addition of Fisher at point guard, instead of Smush Parker. (This also freed up Critendon to be used in the trade for Pao -- clearly Gasol was almost a gift from Memphis.)
West is showing potential for the Cavs, when he has all the parts of his game going he can be very good. We'll see if he can do it all the time.
Your right, djd, Fisher is a big reason the Lakers are doing so well. It's like Casell with the Celtics. It must be nice to have a player pick the team they want to go to like that.
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